Max Fried finally got his playoff celebration, and he made sure to soak it in. The New York Yankees knocked the Boston Red Sox out of the AL Wild Card Series with a 9-2 win in Game 2 on Wednesday, and Fried kept it real afterward about what moments like this mean, as first reported by ClutchPoints.
“Being able to celebrate with your teammates after a playoff series win is… It doesn’t get old,” Fried said. “This is what we start practicing in February.”
He earned the right to enjoy it. The lefty gave Boston almost nothing, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over six innings with six strikeouts.
The lone blemish was a sixth-inning solo shot from Willson Contreras. When Fried exited, New York was clinging to a 2-1 lead.
Then the bats woke up. The Yankees dropped six runs on Boston in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by a three-run homer from Cody Bellinger, and that 8-1 cushion turned the rest of the night into a victory lap.
The IAHHM Take
This win meant a little extra for Fried. Last October, he was lined up to start a possible Game 5 in the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays, but the Yankees went home in four games. His last start that postseason was rough, a Game 4 loss where he gave up seven runs in three innings.
So this was more than just a good outing. It was a reset. Fried got the ball in a big spot against the team’s biggest rival and delivered exactly what New York needed.
And beating Boston in October never gets old for Yankees fans either. That rivalry is baked into the culture of the sport, and sending the Sox home is about as sweet as it gets in the Bronx.
Next up is the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS, with Game 1 set for Saturday in St. Petersburg. If Fried keeps pitching like this, the Yankees have an ace they can lean on all month.
So what do you think: is this the year Fried and the Yankees go all the way, or do the Rays stop the run?
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Source: ClutchPoints
